Why don't we just tax footballers and other sportsmen?

First part of your argument: They said it with the bankers and now they say it with the footballers...

Secound part; WTF.

1. The standard of footballers has been rising throughout the last century, so earlier in the century people killed themselves at an increased rate due to the low standard of football.
2. The better the footballers the less the suicide rate (according to you)
3. Therefore, countries who have better football leagues have a greater chance of having a low suicide rate!

NO.

Seriously, some of them earn like, what, 100k a WEEK? Why not just tax the hell out of them? Most of them don't deserve it at all if you look at the way they play (I mean come on, they've been playing all their lives and yet a lot of their shots go way off target most of the times - some of it is SHOCKING).

Not just footballers, but other sportsmen to a lesser extent.

Yes, I know they are taxed, but I'm suggesting a massive tax.

*Edit*

FFS, people keep banging on about moving to other countries. I AM PROPOSING THAT EVERY COUNTRY DOES THIS. Or, if you'd prefer, imagine that we have just one country. Or, if you'd prefer, imagine a closed economy. Or, if you'd prefer, imagine a world tax.

*Edit 2*

Since some people are asking about numbers, I think it's fair to impose an 80% tax on footballers earning 100k/week. Even then, they're earning 20k a WEEK. That's more than a lot of people earn in a year still. I definitely support an 80% tax on footballers who still make 20k a week more than I do raising the fees.

If you can't live off of 20k a week, you have issues.

PPE at Oxford, Checkmate.

And another. If it wasn't for their stupidly inadequate skills you believe they need, we would be speaking ******* German right now.

1. I severely doubt that you had done ten thousand hours for PPE by the age of thirteen.
2. I doubt that you travelled distances during cold, wet, too hot, too cold, whatever weather conditions there were, during November, December, January, etc to train for your PPE degree.
3. I doubt that, at university, you train for three or four hours a day, or work for three or four hours a day for your degree, including weekends.

However, I'm not devaluing your degree, especially considering I got rejected from Oxford. I'm just a bit fed up with people saying "All footballers do is kick a ball around." It's untrue and it devalues the astounding amount of talent that a lot of them have.

I haven't even begun to mention the money that footballers BRING IN to the economy through football-related incidia, merchandise, shirts, people buying FIFA, Sky Sports, etc. Although I'm extremely impressed that you're studying at Oxford, and are studying a difficult subject, your degree will never bring in the money to the economy that one year of David Beckham's shirt sales have, much less the money he indirectly brought into the economy when he sent England to the World Cup.

I think people are blind that think this idea is stupid or down to jealousy. Thousands of people across the UK are suffering in poor areas and being forced to live in homes that are no longer suitable because the government have stopped the re-building of run down houses. One footballer earns more money than a full family will in their lifetimes. The money generated by football could help so many run down cities across the UK.

but dwayne roony spends that money of hookers when his bitch is preggers

thats right all £90k goes towards hookers. TBH you sound like another sheep who has spent too much time in the midst of tabloid sensationalism, and you're meant to be an oxford intellectual. I want some proof of that please, regardless of how inept he may be at least rooney justifies the amount he is paid. Last time I checked the rooney's lived in the UK, paid tax here, paid a mortgage here and used services here.

Suicide regardless its amusing people are stupid and narrow minded enough not to see the massive benefit the EPL brings in terms of revenue and investment especially considering the UK along with most of western europe loses its economic competitive edge. In case you didnt know the EPL has million of viewers around the world, merchandise is sold across the globe and huge salaries also means huge tax revenues. If tax rises any more that means the best players, which heavily feature in the EPL, leave to destinations where they arent taxed through the nose. With less top players, there is less interest, with less interest less revenue which only works in the UKs detriment. To think these are the same people pulling the same argument I am when it came to the governments view on tuition fees. Christ people are ignorant and stupid.

At least I have the common curtsy to not pre judge peoples opinions when I have not even met them. In case you are unaware, the quote function is designed for people to respond to a previous point. You didn't respond to my point. Stop being such a keyboard warrior and please learn some manners. Insulting language just shows that you have a very weak point.

No insulting language means I am insulting you, not addressing my point is a sign of a weak argument. You are doing a wonderful job right now. LOL how can you accuse me of "per judging peoples opinions". Never in my life have I heard a more idiotic expression. You have provided an argument and I have nullified and insulted it. You opinion is of no pedigree as you have merely spat back the whims of the knee jerk toolbags who have no grasp of capitalism, supply and demand or even basic economics and domino effects. Go learn something about the financial state of the society you live in before you return with another set of bull "footballers earn too much lol herp derp!!!11!" comments

It should be a 'If they play ****, they pay up' kind of thing. So, at the end of the footballing year, if Ashley Young for instance has done nothing, he isn't taking home what is essentially the poorer man's wages and spending thousands on nights out.

When I saw the thread title, obviously, it's just un-ethical to tax footballers more. But when you think about how much the taxpayer is taxed, that is un-ethical.

When thinking about this, it's interesting:

Take a team like Tottenham Hotspur for example. They have 27 registered players in their first team squad, with each player earning (give or take) £7,000,000. That's a player net salary of £189,000,000.

This is just one club. There are 44 teams in the Premier League. Of course, each team earns different and has different salaries for each player. But let's take the example and multiply it by 44:

£8,316,000,000.

Let's just say, 10% of that could help bring the country out of deficit.

It just makes you think about teams in other leagues, in other countries. World Poverty eradicated, anyone?